LIVING THE i LIFE : ‘I am motivated by the people who rely on me'

I am undergoing a phase of depression right now. It’s difficult to explain. Work is going well but that’s the only thing that is going well. Human beings are social animals and we are not meant to be cordoned off and isolated. My brother is in the US and riots are going on there. You don’t feel like you can travel without affecting someone or being affected. No matter how strong we think we are, we are at the mercy of a virus. It kills any ego left. Even when work goes well, I don’t feel happy. There are people dying and suffering and in fear. Usually, we cling on to some hope, something to look forward to. But there is nothing now.

No light at the end of the tunnel. I feel like we’re in a situation where you don’t know what to do - first the pandemic, then the cyclone, then the locust swarm. I am searching for a motivation right now. I think of the people relying on me through my business, and if I am not at my 100 per cent, personally and professionally, it would take a hit on them. That’s what is driving me, despite it being hard. I feel as though I have been trying to put on a brave front for them, but it’s been hard. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been learning the flute. I can play 15 to 20 songs now. It gives me a vent for my energy and frustrations. That one hour of practice has kept me going so far. I can only hope that we get out of this, somehow.